1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a setting device of a force feedback type in which a plurality of control items of an electronic device are set through a single common operating unit. When one of the control items is set, a force feedback pattern which is inherent in the control item is provided to the operating unit so that an operator is made aware of the set control item by the sensation of operation of the operating unit. In particular, the present invention relates to a setting device of a force feedback type providing improved force feedback to an operating unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among in-car setting devices, such as automotive air conditioner setting devices, setting devices of a force feedback type are known. In the automotive air conditioner setting device, a plurality of control items, such as an airflow rate, temperature, and an air outlet, can be set by a rotary knob (operating unit) common to all of the control item settings and a different force-feedback predetermined pattern is provided to each control item setting. In the force-feedback pattern, a click sensation is provided as force feedback for every predetermined angle rotation of the rotary knob. A different pattern is created for each control item by changing the click sensation and time interval between the click sensations (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-189560, in particular, paragraph 0033 and FIG. 6).
However, although such known setting devices of a force feedback type provide different force-feedback patterns by changing the click sensation and time interval between the click sensations, all of the click sensations are similar for operators. Therefore, in a situation where an operator cannot concentrate on a sensation provided by the rotary knob, as is the case where the operator operates the rotary knob while driving a car, the operator can hardly distinguish the sensations for the respective control items and cannot sometimes recognize which control item the operator is attempting to set, which is a problem.